CHARLESTON, S.C. – A potential new bill regarding gun storage is up for discussion and being referred to the state house judiciary committee for the next steps.
If approved, there could be possible penalties for parents, guardians or even firearm retailers in the state of South Carolina who fail to store their firearms properly.
“Let them shoot it, so they can get more comfortable with it, but also learn about the safety and how harmful they can be, because it is a deadly weapon,” gun owner Ashlynn Lynch said.
Lynch has been around guns since she was 15, but she wishes it was earlier for the sake of safety.
“I think that the parents, I mean if you love your children and you care about them you do need to store it properly. Teach your children how to store it properly, keep your ammo away from the gun in case the kid gets ahold of that gun,” she said.
Lynch also said if you are being negligent with how you store your guns, especially with children in the home, there should be disciplinary action to follow.
In the bill, “secure” means to take steps that a reasonable person would take to prevent a child’s access to a readily dischargeable firearm, like a locked container or a trigger lock.
If the parent or guardian fails to follow those terms, penalties can be fines and prison time, with higher penalties if death or injury is involved. As for Firearm retailers, they must post safety warnings similar to this one and provide written notices to buyers.
“Some people are careless with a gun, those are the kinds we get worried about. So we have to make sure they understand a gun is not a toy,” Limehouse RPM Gun Shop Owner, H. Barney Limehouse, said.
Limehouse is not only a former police officer but has also owned Limehouse RPM Gun Shop since he was 23, as well as teaches gun safety classes.
He says he walks through gun safety with his customers, given his experience.
If they sell a gun, new or used, they all are required to be sold with a trigger lock.
“What this does, it goes through the breech, through the barrel of the gun and then automatically the shells are ejected, it’s locked. It puts the keys up, that’s why you can’t close the slide, you can’t put nothing in the gun, the gun will not shoot,” employee Jerry Decocker explains.
Decocker says this bill may have good, pure intentions but it may be difficult to determine what was negligence and what was a child’s curiosity.
The State Legislature will convene on Jan. 14, 2025, as they begin their regular session.